City clears up mistake on agenda for block grant

A mistake in the amount on an amendment to the 5-year Community Development Block Grant plan to be presented at Wednesday’s city council meeting was cleared up Monday.According to Interim Dennis Speer, two line items for the projects to expand the building the Southern Sierra Boys and Girls Club operate from and a major renovation the Ridgecrest Senior Center were apparently switched in Attachment B that is part of the council agenda packet. But the real data lies in the staff report.Currently, the city has $302,316 in its CDBG account — $134,250 for fiscal year 2013-14 and $168,066 unspent money rolled over from the previous year — and the amount may not cover both projects, or an estimated $317,112.The entire amount will be allocated to the two projects for FY 2013-14, Speer said.“We do not have as much money allocated to cover both projects,” Speer said Monday during a press briefingHe said that both projects would be put out to bid upon the amendmen’s approvial.“The bids may come in such that we can cover the cost,” he said.Speer also indicated the city had calls into the Resource Management Agency in Bakersfield to see if it could borrow against next year’s fair share of community development block grant money, or to see if there was other available money it could use.Speer pointed out the last time the item was before council, the Senior Center costs were conceptual while the Boys and Girls had some numbers already totaled.“In terms of the renovation for the Senior Center, I think the the number that was thrown out there was just conceptual,” he said. At the Dec. 5 council meeting, the rough estimate was ballparked around $200,000.“Now that Mr. (Jim) Ponek has had an opportunity to actually estimate the costs, we had an estimate that has realistic figures,” Speer said.Mayor Dan Clark indicated Ponek’s project cost estimate for the senior center fell just below the $200,000 mark at $197,280. The Boys and Girls building expansion estimate is $119,832.“That goes with what we thought,” Clark said.The estimates would be the ones presented to the full council Wednesday, Speer said. “The Boys and Girls Club was asked to prepare a project cost and an application while the Parks and Recreation Director was asked to prepare an application with an estimate,” Speer said. “When they actually looked at their projects, these were the numbers they came up with and that’s what’s going back to council.”While the Boys and Girls Club project application indicated that “any costs incurred above the $95,000 will be the responsibility of the Southern Sierra Boys & Girls Club,” Clark said that wasn’t necessarily the case.“I think there’s no requirement for that,” Clark said. One of the suggestions floated at the Dec. 5 council meeting was the possibility that Kern County could take over the senior center.Both Clark and Speer indicated the last time it had been discussed, the county had showed no interest. The last discussion was when Kurt Wilson served as city manager.“There has been comments by the county that they were not interested in taking over the building,” Speer said. Speer declined to give names.According to the staff report on the council agenda, the Senior Center renovations “will bring new flooring, ceiling tiles, restroom facilities, hot water heater, kitchen cabinets and paint to outside of a building that is in needs of repairs.”This would be the only major renovation it has seen since it was built in 1979.Staff recommendation, according to the staff report included in Wednesday’s agenda is to approve the amended five-year plan and submit both applications to the Kern County Community Development Department.Clark said community development block grants can only be used for brick-and-mortar projects, not for items, such as computers.The proposed five-year plan amendment itself fostered a spirited conversation at the Dec. 5 city council meeting. The discussion itself was pushed to an adjourned meeting on Dec. 6 where the public expressed concerns about reallocating the proposed budget from bringing the city’s sidewalk wheelchair ramps up to current ADA-compliant standards.City staff recommended amending the proposal to include $75,000 originally earmarked for the Boys and Girls Club into Wheelchair ramps over the next two fiscal years.Strong support by the Boys and Girls Club opened up discussion and council directed city staff to amend the development block grant plan.Some community members expressed concern that the city staff’s original idea be followed.Clark thinks that the community may have calmed down since it the subject was broached two months ago, especially given the situation the city council was faced with.“The same night we were sworn in, we get blindsided in a way by this decision we had to make Friday and it was Wednesday,” he said. Clark said that calls had been made to Lorelei Oviatt, Kern County’s Planning Director and other county contacts to get an extension.“The poor council, they weren’t prepared to make that decision,” Clark said. “But it just happened out that way and we got an extension and we get a chance to make a decision. We’ll really have a chance to discuss it and get community input and make a decision that is right for the community.”